I Visited an Employment Agency for Autism
Wow. Just wow. This afternoon after work I was lucky enough to visit Specialisterne based in Vienna. I had never heard of this organization until recently. The Kid's therapist works at this organization once a week. I asked if I could come by one day and she said "of course". My goal right now is to find out as much as possible about what is available in Vienna in terms of autism support. In one case I was not so heartily welcomed. However, not today. I arrived at 4 and walked up the steps. Specialisterne was founded by a Danish man whose son had been diagnosed with autism. Frustrated by the lack of employment opportunities for people with autism. The Kid's therapist greeted me and we walked through to the meeting room in the back. In between is the workspace and there were about 3 men working at computers. The room has a row of windows and is bright and calm. We walked into the meeting room and she told me about the organization.
They are, for lack of better term, an employment agency for people with autism. They find jobs for people based on their skills and primarily focus on IT skills. There are several steps: first a person contacts them with their official diagnosis as well as their CV, then they have several meetings to discern what their strengths are, then they provide coaching and also meet with interested companies. Their goal is to pair the right person for the right job. Some of the people are based in companies and some work on-site at Specialisterne. Specialisterne is the point of contact and so if there are ever any questions or concerns, they are available. I was very impressed by the amount of support they offer and it was heartwarming.
At one point, our therapist invited one gentleman in to talk to me about his experience with autism. W. is 31 and was only diagnosed two years ago. He told me about his childhood, the loneliness and the problems. He was sent to psychologists and they were unable to pinpoint anything. He told me about the dozen jobs he had to quit. He told me about his mother and how she struggled and did what she could do. It was only about 2 years ago that his mother saw a programme on ORF about Specialisterne and suggested he should look into it. They Googled Autism and realized that he showed many of the traits and contacted a center here. It took almost a year for his diagnosis. I asked him how he felt when he was diagnosed with Aspergers and he said "Relief." I had to hold back my tears. It is criminal that such a wonderful man with such intelligence, warmth and a great sense of humour has had to spent most of his life feeling like he just didn't belong. I wanted to reach out and hug him. I told him he was inspiring and he had a look of pride. How can this city let such amazing people like W. slip through the cracks? CRIMINAL! And so, I will say it again and again, this city has got to change its approach to autism. Nobody should EVER feel like they don't belong and parents should never feel so alone. This is my manifesto! For people like W. and for my son... for all the parents out there who have ever felt that they have nobody... for every child and adult that has felt lost because of autism... I won't stop. Or, in other words, I got your backs.
I am so inspired by the people who work with autism daily in this city. They have been fighting an uphill battle and I have only just joined. I will be writing about Specialisterne's work on the Autism in Vienna page soon. I was so inspired by this afternoon and it has made it even clearer to me what needs to be done. I'm sorry if this post was once again ranty but sometimes you have to rant to be heard. I have no doubt that in the next couple of months I will piss people off and that is ok. What's that saying "People don't like you? Good. It means that you stood up for something in your life." I wish you all a great evening. I will be doing some yoga soon and then the Husband and I will watch some Southern Charm because it is the best reality show ever... well, one of the best ones ever. There is a whole lot of great reality shows out there. Or as I like to call them... documentaries. Happy Monday!
They are, for lack of better term, an employment agency for people with autism. They find jobs for people based on their skills and primarily focus on IT skills. There are several steps: first a person contacts them with their official diagnosis as well as their CV, then they have several meetings to discern what their strengths are, then they provide coaching and also meet with interested companies. Their goal is to pair the right person for the right job. Some of the people are based in companies and some work on-site at Specialisterne. Specialisterne is the point of contact and so if there are ever any questions or concerns, they are available. I was very impressed by the amount of support they offer and it was heartwarming.
At one point, our therapist invited one gentleman in to talk to me about his experience with autism. W. is 31 and was only diagnosed two years ago. He told me about his childhood, the loneliness and the problems. He was sent to psychologists and they were unable to pinpoint anything. He told me about the dozen jobs he had to quit. He told me about his mother and how she struggled and did what she could do. It was only about 2 years ago that his mother saw a programme on ORF about Specialisterne and suggested he should look into it. They Googled Autism and realized that he showed many of the traits and contacted a center here. It took almost a year for his diagnosis. I asked him how he felt when he was diagnosed with Aspergers and he said "Relief." I had to hold back my tears. It is criminal that such a wonderful man with such intelligence, warmth and a great sense of humour has had to spent most of his life feeling like he just didn't belong. I wanted to reach out and hug him. I told him he was inspiring and he had a look of pride. How can this city let such amazing people like W. slip through the cracks? CRIMINAL! And so, I will say it again and again, this city has got to change its approach to autism. Nobody should EVER feel like they don't belong and parents should never feel so alone. This is my manifesto! For people like W. and for my son... for all the parents out there who have ever felt that they have nobody... for every child and adult that has felt lost because of autism... I won't stop. Or, in other words, I got your backs.
I am so inspired by the people who work with autism daily in this city. They have been fighting an uphill battle and I have only just joined. I will be writing about Specialisterne's work on the Autism in Vienna page soon. I was so inspired by this afternoon and it has made it even clearer to me what needs to be done. I'm sorry if this post was once again ranty but sometimes you have to rant to be heard. I have no doubt that in the next couple of months I will piss people off and that is ok. What's that saying "People don't like you? Good. It means that you stood up for something in your life." I wish you all a great evening. I will be doing some yoga soon and then the Husband and I will watch some Southern Charm because it is the best reality show ever... well, one of the best ones ever. There is a whole lot of great reality shows out there. Or as I like to call them... documentaries. Happy Monday!
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